On Friday, May 4 Brookville Restaurant became a BBQ joint, complete with pig roast, and we have the pictures and video to prove it.

"We had a lot of great people come up the stairs, and I put my heart and soul into the preparation of the food," says Brookville chef/owner Harrison Keevil of the hog-centric event. "I think that I'll definitely have more pig-related events because I need to practice for a big event."

That would be Cochon 555, the first annual BBQ competition to be held in Memphis over Labor Day weekend, where Keevil will join such renowned chefs as John Currence and Sean Brock. The event will host about 1,000 hungry people on the streets of Memphis.

"I m honored to have been chosen to cook in this event," says Keevil, "because there are going to be some big-name national chefs competing."

Keevil says he plans to bring a team of local chefs, and to bring back a little BBQ glory.

"I hope to go down to Memphis and cook my heart out and bring some recognition to our great city," he says. "But right now I need to practice cooking pig."

15 comments

Woolen Millie May 10th, 2012 | 4:30pm

For crying out loud. I'm no PETA protester, nor am I a vegetarian, but it would only be common sense to have chosen a different picture to illustrate this story, especially with such a caption. Test it out: editors, if you have young children, show them that photo & see if they flinch. If you yourself flinch from doing that... 'nuff said.

cvillehoo May 10th, 2012 | 7:28pm

Really. C'mon, how is that disturbing. It's a pic of a pig. Should we show all
pics to our kids, to see if they approve before we post online.

Newanda May 10th, 2012 | 8:42pm

Totally didn't expect to see that picture pop up the moment I went to the homepage. I gotta go with Millie on this one. I didn't need to see dead pig staring me in the face.

Jim May 10th, 2012 | 8:43pm

I think we should just be happy it was that end of the pig.

Doyle Hargraves May 11th, 2012 | 1:54am

A pig is the perfect food. You can't eat all of it, except the squeal....

jebmeister May 11th, 2012 | 4:30am

Oh, c'mon, folks. We all seem to have forgotten from whence our food comes. (I know (!) the grocery store!). While I prefer not to look my food in the eye, roasted whole pig is one of the best foods on the planet. If y'all saw your beautiful chicken breasts being processed from farm to table, you probably wouldn't be able to eat poultry for awhile. Do yourself and your kids a favor. Take them to a farm, a slaughterhouse, a poultry processing plant. Let them learn where their food comes from. And if you have a problem with eating animals, get the leather out of your car, your wardrobe, and animal products out of your pet food before you raise any objections.

Stop Squealing May 11th, 2012 | 10:51am

My 4 year old daughter was there when Chef Harrison cut the pig up. She didn't flinch, and was very inquisitive about the whole process. My wife couldn't look "Wilbur" in the face, but still had a bite of the other white meat. Some kids and adults are more sensitive than others, however I don't think that children were the main audience for this piece. I think the editors had grown adults in mind, those who understand and appreciate the culinary art, good news, and events that were birthed out of passion. We are not on Sesame Street anymore...

Woolen Millie May 11th, 2012 | 12:56pm

@ Stop Squealing, perfectly valid points, just sayin' the picture could have been embedded somewhere else where its content might have been less unexpected. And kudos to your wife for having that amount of sensitivity.

My Two Bits May 11th, 2012 | 1:28pm

Here we go again....the Hook is out for their smart aleck shock factor. It really gets old. More and more our household is bypassing the Hook on the stands and online. After this obvious piece of sensationalism we will bypass it altogether.

boooo! May 11th, 2012 | 2:20pm

@ My Two Bits

Annnnnd....the Hook cares why, exactly?

The Hook is a free weekly paper. With free online equivelent. Since you don't pay for a subscription, why should they give a pig's behind whether your household chooses to read their FREE paper?

Billy H May 11th, 2012 | 3:04pm

hey, it could have been a bunch of photos from playboy like they printed/posted a while back

TC May 11th, 2012 | 8:59pm

Are you people really complaining about a picture of food?? Really? That's what real food looks like. Fine, go back to your boneless skinless Mcnuggets and wallmartbiotic protiens. Kids ...real kids understand animals are food and value the food because of that understanding

ThomasK May 14th, 2012 | 11:39am

mmmmmmmmmmm, crispy pork skin!

Sam May 15th, 2012 | 8:29am

50 Years ago in 1960s when we visited my father's boyhood home in Pittsylvania Co. from here... He said you know where the "true south" started where pickled pigs feet would show up by the cash register in a jar, just in case you wanted a snack. In the 60s that was about the Lynchburg area, now I don't know how far south you have to drive to see that.